Connecter for barges



' 1,520,144 W. C. SANSOM CONNECTER FOR BARGES Filed Jan. 21 1924 .i connecter Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

srnrss WALTER C. SANSOM, OF PITTSEURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

G'ONNECTER FOR BARGES.

Application filed. January 21, 1924. Serial No. 687,576.

To all ywhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WALTER C. SANsoM, residing at Pittsburgh, vin the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or discovered certain new and useful lmprovements in Connecters for Bai-ges, of which improvements the following is a specifloat-ion.

The invention described herein relates to .certain improvements in the class or type of barge connecters described and claimed in Letters Patent N o. 1,231,067, granted to me June 26, 1917. 1t is characteristic of the described and shown in said patent that each connecter consists of two complementary parts or elements secured permanently to the respective barges to be connected. As each of said elements is formed of single bars or sections of wire rope, it is necessary to make the bars or rope of large diameter in order to obtain the necessary tensile strength that they require, as they are diiicult to adjust by reason of their great weight. And further, as the connecters were permanenatly secured to the barges, removal in case of breakage is dilhcult and expensive.

The invention described herein has for its object a construction of a two-part connecter adapted to be detachably secured to a part, as the snubbing post, common to all barges, and to be readily connected to a similar part of an adjacent barge. The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a plan view showing parts of three barges arranged in tandem and secured together by .my improved connecter; Fig. 2 is a view showing parts of two barges in side elevation and secured together by the connecter; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view, the plane of section being indicated by the line Ill-III, Fig. 1; and Fig. d is a plan view illustrating a modihcation of the improvement.

The improved connecter consists of a length of wire rope 1 preferably made so that when subjected to tension, it will not untwist. At one end the rope is secured in a socket 2 adapted to be connected by a link to one end of a threaded rod 3 adapted to screw into a sleeve 4. rlhis sleeve is oppositely threaded at its ends and in the end opposite that in which the rod 3 fits, is inserted a threaded rod 5 oppositely threaded so that on the rotation of the sleeve by a ratchet t3 adapted to be operated by a lever 7, this rod 3 and rod 5 can be drawn towards each other or moved apart. The opposite end ofthe wire rope 1 is also secured in a socket 8 to which is connected one end of a length of links, each link being made of such a. size as Will permit of the insertion thereinto vof a hook 9 loosely mounted on a link 1() which is connected to the end of the threaded rod 5. This hook is so constructed that after passing through a link of the series 8aN it can be turned back and held from moving to open position under strain by a ring 11. in using this improved connecter, a portion near one end, as the socket 2, is passed around the usual snubbing post 12 on a barge and is held thereon from accidental loss or displacement by any suitable means such for example as that shown, consisting of two bars 13 extending across the two parts of the rope passing on opposite sides of the snubbing post and clamped together by bolts 14, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In connecting barges a loop may be made by connecting the hook 9 to one of the series` of links 8a and then throwing the loose end of the loop over the snubbing post 12a of the adjacent barge and then the ratchet wheel is operated to take up the slack and draw the ends of the barges closely together. It is preferred, however, that the hook should be disconnected from the links or wire rope passed around the snubbing post and then the portion 8a brought into close proximity as can be done by hand and the hooks inserted'in the nearest link possible, whereupon the ratchet lever is operated as above described, to draw the parts together.

lVhile the construction above described is preferable, the manner of securing the connecter to one of the barges is shown in Fig. 4r, and consists in securing one end of the rope in a socket 2 which is connected by a link to one ear or projection on a plate 16 loosely bolted to some portion lof the barge. The threaded rod 3 is connected by a link to another ear 15 on this plate. In using this construction, two barges are connected in either of the manners above described.

It will be observed that the improved connecter consists of a flexible member as the wire rope portion, a tightening means forming a connection between the ends of the Hexible member, means for detachably connecting one end of the flexible member to the tightening means and means whereby the length of the Connecter may be changed. I claim herein as my invention:

l. A two-part connecter for barges having in combination a flexible member for a length sufiicient to extend from one barge around a snubbing post on an adjacent barge 1nd back to the first barge, one part being secured to the first barge, a tightening means connected to the first barge and detaehably connected to the part returning from the other barge.

2. A two-part connecter for barges having in combination a. fiexible member of a length sufficient when its ends are connected to Vpass around snubbing posts on adjacent barges, means for holding one of the loops in vposition on its snubbing post and a tightening means connected to one end of the connecter and means for detachably connecting the tightening means to the opposite end Aof' the connecter.

3. A two-part connecter for barges having in combination a flexible member of a length sufiieient When its ends are connected to pass around snnbbing posts on adjacent barges and a tightening means connected to one end of' the connecter and means for detaehably connecting the tightener to the opposite end of the connecter, and means for securing the loop at one end of the connecter to its snubbing post.

4i. A two-part connecter for barges having in combination a flexible member of a length sufficient when its rends are connected to pass around snubbing. posts on adjacent barges', a tightening means connected to one end of the connecter and means for detachably connecting the tightener to the opposite end of the connecter? and a clamp adapted to engage the two parts of the connecter in such proximity to a. snubbing post as to prevent the removal of the connecter from such post.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sfj-t my hand.

WALTER C. SANSOli/i. 

